On campus.
On a rooftop above one of the classroom buildings, three boys and a girl were sitting. They'd formed a small circle, all cross-legged, with some lunchboxes, drinks, and snacks casually scattered in front of them.
"Brother Fan, what now?"
The speaker was a girl with a bowl-cut. She was a bit on the chubby side, not very tall, not really pretty—at most, she was kind of cute. She put down her half-bitten chocolate cake and asked worriedly.
The one she called Brother Fan was a boy. Ordinary-looking, ordinary height, ordinary hairstyle. If you had to pick out a feature, maybe his facial features were a tad delicate, and he had this vibe that made people think he was super naive, like if you teased him, he'd blush like crazy.
"Honestly, fuck his mother hen."
But this delicate, would-blush-at-anything-looking guy was currently gobbling down food and cursing non-stop: "Fucking unlucky. How did I manage to piss off that rabid dog?"
"Brother Fan, maybe we should talk to someone?" one of the freckled guys suggested.
"Right, we could ask Brother Xiao to mediate. Last time, remember, we tipped him off in time so he dodged a bullet—he owes us for that. He's pretty tight with Ji Yu, so if he puts in a good word maybe this whole thing blows over." The bowl-cut girl jumped in instantly.
Yang Fan didn't answer. He set down his lunchbox, suddenly not hungry anymore.
Lunch break, he'd just headed to the back hill for something, and saw Ya Ge and Lin Feng chatting. He noticed something off about their expressions, and relying on pure instinct, he immediately went into Demon Possession mode—using the Sound-seeking Beast's talent paired with some smooth talking, he found out the two had broken up.
A scoop like that just isn't any fun if you keep it to yourself. Not one for solo enjoyment, Yang Fan "accidentally" let it slip while chatting with some classmates.
To him, this was just another juicy piece of gossip. No different from the hundred or so he'd spread around that year.
He could totally predict the commotion this gossip would cause—this time, the leading lady was a total celebrity in school.
Though the dude lived for drama, Yang Fan wasn't stupid; he knew who he should never mess with.
He had a hard rule: never flirt with people who have more pull than him. And Lin Feng and Ya Ge? Not on that untouchable list.
Lin Feng was stronger, sure, but not a concern. As classmates, from what Yang Fan knew, Lin Feng might get pissed, but he wouldn't throw a punch.
As for jilted Ya Ge, sure, joining the Juxing Club had given him a rocket boost, but that was just joining. He'd graduate soon anyway—who'd even remember? No way he could hold a grudge forever—this isn't some blood feud.
But no matter how much he thought about it, Yang Fan could not have guessed he'd end up running into Ji Yu.
Right now, Yang Fan felt like he'd stepped in dog shit.
He and Ji Yu weren't in the same class, but they'd greet each other occasionally when they met.
For years, his dad had taken him to Ji Yu's place every New Year. In Yang Fan's eyes, he and Ji Yu weren't brothers, but at least kind of friends, right?
Who could've figured that Ji Yu—who had nothing to do with this whole thing—would, just to show off for Ya Ge (or maybe not even that, maybe just for the spotlight), throw out a threat to rip his mouth off?
"It's no use. Even if Xiao is willing to help, Ji Yu won't give a shit about saving face, and honestly, Xiao wouldn't dare offend Ji Yu anyway. If he's already thrown down the gauntlet, you can bet he's gonna throw hands." Yang Fan shot down their ideas, no sugarcoating.
He knew Ji Yu way too well. That guy was a full-on moron.
The dude looked all gentle, but was rotten beneath it all. "Scumbag" didn't even cover it—"animal" was more accurate.
These past years, how many girls dropped out because of him? How many weird victims did he bully?
If someone's look bugged him, or even just their walking style rubbed him wrong, he'd break their legs without blinking.
"Or maybe… you get your family involved?" another boy offered.
"No way."
Yang Fan rejected it flat-out, zero hesitation.
Sure, his dad owned a company worth over a billion, pretty well-known in Jiang City, but that was peanuts compared to Ji Yu's family's Yunhai Group. Hell, their business depended on Yunhai Group in several areas.
That's why his dad dragged him over to Ji Yu's place every New Year. To put it plainly, his dad was sucking up to Ji Yu's family. The two weren't equals, not even close.
Plus, every student knew the unwritten rule: never get adults involved in your beef.
Even if the grown-ups stepped in and Ji Yu held back for a bit, payback would be way worse later. For idiots like him, image is everything.
But even besides that—what mattered even more was Yang Fan didn't want to go begging to his dad.
He sucked at Martial Arts. Even with all the resources backing him, he'd only managed Body Cultivator Fifth Rank.
He'd just become a Demon Spirit Master yesterday, but in everyone's eyes, a Second Grade Sound-seeking Beast was a wasted demon spirit—nobody picked support demon spirits for Refinement.
His talent was crap—the literal worst among his siblings. Since he was a kid, he'd always been called useless.
His dad never thought much of him either; they pretty much weren't on good terms. No way was he gonna go running to his dad over this.
Doing that would just get him another dose of disappointment—pretty much prove he was trash.
He'd built his own club as a first year, using leftover allowance to pay his three members' salaries, always throwing parties, looking after his informants day after day. He did all that to graduate with an accomplishment, get his dad's approval—to show that, even if his martial arts sucked, he was just as good as anyone else.
"Or maybe we should…"
Bowl-cut girl mumbled, but trailed off without finishing.
Yang Fan got her meaning. He hesitated for a moment, then quickly shook his head at all three.
These three weren't just buddies—they were all part of his Jianghu News Agency.
Jianghu News Agency—his own club, started back in first year.
Wherever there's people, there's drama. Wherever there's drama, there's news—that's how Jianghu News Agency got its name.
Ever since middle school, Yang Fan had always known he sucked at martial arts—yet his pride never let him believe he was less than anyone.
No talent? Screw it—he was still gonna carve out his own turf.
The Jianghu News Agency was his first step toward that dream.
At Jiangxin First Middle School, nobody knew this club even existed. Including Yang Fan, it had only four members.
Besides himself, the three here were handpicked talents from Jiangxin Middle School. Sure, their martial arts weren't much, but Yang Fan believed they'd do something amazing someday.
Jianghu News Agency—four core members, but each had over a dozen informants under them. Not much happened at Jiangxin First Middle School that escaped their ears.
Ji Yu, that idiot, had done so much filthy crap and they had dirt on all of it. If they posted it online, Ji Yu would not only get expelled, he might even end up behind bars—and his dad's Yunhai Group could take a hit, too.
"Don't even think about it—that's straight up suicide!"
Yang Fan glared at his crew, deadly serious.
If his family ranked above Yunhai Group, maybe he'd go for it and crush the threat before it started.
But no—reality sucked.
If those scandals came out now, everyone would know he was behind it—no investigation needed. That bit of dirt wouldn't sink Yunhai Group. And then? He'd be screwed, and so would his family.
He was the president of Jianghu News Agency. Sure, just a senior about to graduate, not even out in society yet, but he'd already seen more darkness than most.
He understood one thing, crystal clear: never poke one of those big corporate beasts where it hurts, or they'll bare their fangs and swallow you whole.
"So, what now?"
Bowl-cut girl flopped onto the ground, helpless.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. I'm out."
Yang Fan stood up, dusted off his butt, and walked away. The other three looked at each other, equally frustrated, and followed in his tracks.